Electronically operated remote control systems, such as garage door opener systems, home security systems, home lighting systems, gate controllers, etc., may employ a portable, hand-held transmitter (i.e., an original transmitter) to transmit a control signal to a receiver located at the remote control system. For example, a garage door opener system may include a receiver located within a home owner's garage and coupled to the garage door opener. A user may press a button on the original transmitter to transmit a radio frequency signal to the receiver to activate the garage door opener to open and close a garage door. Accordingly, the receiver may be tuned to the frequency of its associated original transmitter and may demodulate a predetermined code programmed into both the original transmitter and the receiver for operating the garage door.
As an alternative to a portable, hand-held original transmitter, a trainable transmitter or transceiver may be provided in a vehicle for use with remote control systems. A trainable transmitter may be configurable by a user to activate one or more of a plurality of different wireless control system receivers using different radio frequency messages. A user may train the trainable transmitter to an existing original transmitter by holding the two transmitters in close range and pressing buttons on the original transmitter and the trainable transmitter. The trainable transmitter may identify the type of remote control system associated with the original transmitter based on a radio frequency signal received from the original transmitter. For example, the trainable transmitter may identify and store the control code and carrier frequency of the original transmitter radio frequency (“RF”) control signal. Once trained, the trainable transceiver may be used to transmit RF signals to control the remote control system.
In a transmission mode, a user may press an input device, e.g., a button, of the trainable transmitter that has been trained to a particular remote control system, for example, a garage door opener. In response to the user input, the trainable transmitter may retrieve the carrier frequency and control data associated with the button pressed, generate a carrier signal with the appropriate carrier frequency and modulate control data on the carrier signal to generate an RF control signal to control the garage door opener. The RF control signal may be transmitted to the garage door opener.